New Delhi: A CBI court in New Delhi recently suspended Look Out Circular (LOC) issued against Big Boss contestant and Roadies Extreme Kriti Verma for three months in order to enable her to travel abroad. She is of one of the accused in a cheating and corruption case lodged by the agency in 2022.
This case pertains to alleged fraudulent withdrawal of more than Rs 263 crores by way of income tax refund. Bhushan Anant Patil is one of the prime accused.
Special judge (CBI) Atul Krishna Agarwal suspended the LOC for a period of three months subject to certain conditions.
"I am inclined to grant the interim relief that the LOC of applicant be suspended for a period of three months till 6.5.24 and she is at liberty to travel abroad, for the period of three months (not exceeding seven days, for a particular visit), without requirement to move application for the same," Special Judge said in the order dated February 6, 2024.
The court directed that the applicant shall deposit an FDR in the sum of Rs.15,00,000 in the Court which would be returned to the applicant after the period of three months, upon her application. It also directed that the applicant shall also furnish a personal bond in the sum of Rs.50 lakh along with one surety of the like amount, which shall stand forfeited to the Government, in case the applicant makes any default in any of the terms and conditions on which the applicant is allowed to visit abroad.
The bond amount shall be realized from the movable/immovable property of the applicant/surety, the details of which are to be given by way of affidavit, the court said.
The court imposed conditions including that the applicant shall file an undertaking to the effect that she shall not attempt to interfere with the further investigation in any manner whatsoever and shall co-operate in consonance with law with the investigating officer in the further investigation of the case and shall also appear before him, as and when asked to do so.
Kriti Verma is also directed to intimate about her travel dates and itinerary to the CBI/investigating officer along with the address of the places where the applicant shall be visiting/staying well in advance (at least two days before travel) either in person or through post or through e-mail, so that proper verification can be done.
Further, upon her return to India, she shall inform the IO about the same. It was submitted by Advocates Chirag Madan, Counsel for the applicant that in view of issue regarding territorial jurisdiction still pending before Delhi High Court, the Court may suspend the LOC for three months, so that the applicant is not required to move repeated applications seeking suspension of LOC, so that she can travel abroad.
He also submitted that the applicant is a frequent traveller abroad due to her professional engagements and sometimes, she receives intimation from the event organiser, so late that she is not in a position to move application before this Court, for permission to travel abroad.
He further informed the Court that Kriti Verma is on bail in the connected ED matter pending at Mumbai.
After hearing the submissions, the special judge said I am in consonance with the submission of learned Counsel for the applicant that she has to suffer grave inconvenience by moving one application after another, whenever she has to travel abroad. She is also a resident of Mumbai and not Delhi, which cannot be overlooked.
"In fact, it also causes grave inconvenience, even to this Court to dispose of such applications at a very short notice," the court noted.
The court said that IO has not filed any supplementary charge sheet nor has reported that any additional evidence against the applicant has been found from the time since charge sheet was filed.
If the apprehension of CBI is that the applicant may abscond after going abroad or may not join investigation, the same can be taken care of by imposing appropriate conditions upon the applicant, the court said in the order.
—ANI